Radical overhaul: Three elite schools announce big changes

One of Queensland’s leading property developers is among new appointments to the governing body of some of Queensland’s top private schools, including Brisbane Boys’ College and Clayfield College.

A retired Air Force Vice Marshall, one of Queensland’s best-known property developers and a Bond University Pro Vice-Chancellor have been chosen to lead three of Brisbane’s leading private schools.

And $75 million in projects have been greenlighted at the schools by their governing body, the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association.

The PMSA oversees Brisbane Boys’ College in Toowong, Clayfield College on the northside, Somerville House in South Brisbane and Sunshine Coast Grammar School.

The announcements are among 50 recent changes made by outgoing PMSA chair Morgan Parker, taking the number of governance and other reforms it has made in recent years to about 300.

Among those changes was the announcement of a new Headmaster for BBC, Andre Casson, who will replace Paul Brown.

Mr Parker said he was delighted many of the new appointments to volunteer positions within the PMSA and the four schools were women.

It had been a conscious strategy to increase diversity and was now a notable point of difference for the schools.*

Developer Don O’Rorke will chair the BBC Council. He first attended the school, at age 11, as a country boarder.

Developer Don O'Rorke from Consolidated Properties Group. Picture: David Clark

Mr O’Rorke is the founder and chair of Consolidated Properties Group.

It has a swag of major developments in its portfolio including a twin-tower, 15-level unit project on the old Toowong ABC site, a kilometre from BBC.

Ranked number 3 on The Courier-Mail’s 2018 Top 10 Property List and number 66 on the Top 100 Influencers List, he was formerly chair of the BBC Foundation.

Retired Air Force Vice Marshall Ken Watson has been announced as the chair of the Sunshine Coast Grammar Council.

The Harvard Business School graduate, who is a parent at the school, has had a distinguished 36-year career.

“I am very familiar with the need for and practise of corporate governance and I look forward to contributing to the work of the PMSA in governing and advocating Christian education,” Mr Watson said.

Retires Air Force Vice Marshall Ken Watson.

Catherine O’Sullivan has been appointed chair of the Clayfield College Council.

Ms O’Sullivan has served as Pro Vice-Chancellor at Bond University and had a three year-stint on the Screen Queensland board, among other high-profile appointments.

Phillip Brooks will take on a newly-created PMSA role, chairing a Child Protection and Safeguarding Committee.

The PMSA, which held its AGM this week, also approved $75 million of capital development projects across its four schools.

Work will start on a new Prep building at Sunshine Coast Grammar in September, which is expected to be completed by July next year.

Catherine O'Sullivan. Picture: John Gass

A visual arts building was finished at the school recently and a new science building in May last year.

Somerville House will get a new senior school precinct and the “SomerFields’’ sporting complex at Rocklea.

Plans to renewing Clayfield College are well under way, with work to start in the school holidays.

* An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the significant number of women appointed by the PMSA was NOT a conscious strategy. This was a production error, it was in fact a conscious strategy by Mr Parker. Westside News apologies sincerely for the error.

New Brisbane Boys College Headmaster Andre Casson with his wife Jodie and daughter Remi.